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  1. Games
  2. RPG
  3. Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact tried to hold an Elon Musk challenge, and the community wasn't impressed

News
By Ali Jones published 14 October 2021

The bizarre PR stunt has backfired seriously quickly

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Genshin Impact
(Image credit: MiHoYo)
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A bizarre Genshin Impact PR stunt involving Elon Musk appears to have been canceled after community backlash.

Earlier today, the official Genshin Impact Twitter account told fans that in celebration of two million followers, it would be hosting a community challenge. That challenge asked players to follow another account - named Ella Musk - with 'rewards' unlocked at certain follower counts.

To host the challenge, the official Twitter account, previously named Paimon after the game's helpful companion, proposed the first reward tier: unlocked at 500,000 followers, it would see the name reverted back to its original state. At one million followers, the official account would follow Musk on Twitter. At three million, Musk would be invited to stream the game, and at five million invited to visit the MiHoYo headquarters.

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  • Helldivers 2 soldier with an explosion reflecting in their visor As death threats derail Helldivers 2's wholesome D10 challenge, devs address “increasing hostility in the community”

It's difficult to see how the first two tiers constitute rewards for the community, and depending on your view of Elon Musk, potentially tricky to find the value in the third and fourth rewards either. Unfortunately for MiHoYo, players don't seem to have been particularly impressed by the challenge. The tweet has already been deleted, presumably spelling the end of the challenge, but the community is still making its feelings known.

One Twitter user said that the community would "never forget" the challenge, while a popular updates account celebrated the deletion of the message. Over on Reddit, the top comment on the post embedded above asks if the tweet was a joke, with others suggesting that the move makes the game look out of touch. Musk himself seems amused, however, recently telling his followers that he "can't wait to be in Genshin Impact." 

Genshin Impact tips | Genshin Impact Dragonspine Stone Tablets | Best Genshin Impact characters | Genshin Impact fishing spots | Genshin Impact Anemoculus | Genshin Impact Aloy character | Genshin Impact wishes and codes | Genshin Impact Serenitea Pot blueprints | Genshin Impact Hangout Events | How to reroll in Genshin Impact | Genshin Impact Crossplay 

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Ali Jones
Ali Jones
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Managing Editor, News

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for news, shaping the news strategy across the team. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.

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